Rays Fall 4-3 in Shootout to Aces Sunday

Jan 17, 2016

01/17/2016 5:33 PM -

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC-For the second straight game, the South Carolina Stingrays erased a three-goal deficit to earn a point in the standings, but fell to the Alaska Aces, 4-3, in a shootout Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum. David Pacan tied the game with 1:20 remaining to force overtime, and Mark Dekanich stopped 42 shots in the losing effort.

It didn't come quite as quick as the night prior, but in the closing minute of the second period, the Aces held a 3-0 lead. Stephen Perfetto opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot that beat Dekanich at 9:18 of the opening period to make it 1-0. The Aces would score two goals in 5:19 towards the end of the second period with Tim Coffman scoring at 14:10 and Justin Breton notching his 14th goal of the season at 19:19.
Just when it looked like the Stingrays were down and out, they roared back for a second straight contest against Alaska. Marcus Perrier would quickly cut into the Alaska lead with 7.9 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-1. The goal was Perrier's fourth of the season and came on a slapshot from the slot. Pacan moved the puck to the front of the net and Perrier unleashed a shot that found its way past Alaska goalie Troy Redmann.
The Stingrays would cut the lead to just one at 7:55 of the third period. Stephan Vigier tucked a shot from the crease five-hole on Redmann courtesy of a great feed from teammate Colin Mulvey. The goal was Vigier's second in as many games and his 10th of the season. Paul Rodrigues also assisted.
Down a goal late, the Stingrays relied on Dekanich. The netminder stopped 18 shots in the third period and headed to the bench for an extra-attacker in the closing minutes of the game. The Stingrays would reward their netminder by evening the score on a broken play. A Patrick Gaul shot towards the net bounced right to David Pacan who was wide-open on the left wing. He knocked the puck into the open goal for his 11th goal of the season to send the crowd of 4,782 into a frenzy.
After a scoreless overtime, the game headed to a shootout. Each goaltender stood tall in the first two rounds, but in the third round, Anthony DeLuca was able to maneuver around Dekanich to give the Aces the shootout advantage. Rodrigues had to score to keep the Stingrays alive, but he struck the right goal post and failed to convert.
The Stingrays picked up a point in the standings but have dropped five straight. They were outshot by Alaska 46-33 in the game.

The Stingrays return home for a pair of games next weekend. On Friday they host the Atlanta Gladiators at 7:05 p.m. It's our Go Green Night with Charleston County Environmental Management with a Go Green Tote Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans. Gates open for Season Ticket Holders at 5:30 and the general public at 6:00 p.m. It's also a Rays 4 Pack featuring 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas and a large popcorn for $65.

Our biggest game of the year is almost here! The South Carolina Stingrays host South Carolina Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center Pack the House Night on Saturday, January 23. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. versus the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. All tickets for the game are